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Good morning. A few weeks ago I went on a little pilgrimage. It wasn’t a pilgrimage as commonly understood – since it ended not at a great cathedral or a shrine…but a supermarket! Three years ago, when this particular building was opened, there was a great hue and cry in the press. Finding myself in the town at the heart of all that controversy, I decided to call in. It certainly is an astonishing sight. Soaring high above the shops around, this particular supermarket is elegantly built of brick and sandstone. The main doorway is arched, and there are stained glass windows just above the cash tills and behind the freezer cabinets. The pulpit may be gone…but this supermarket was once a church.

As a Christian I found myself in a dilemma. The building had been treated with respect and its original solid beauty allowed to shine. That said, my heart sank a little as the saints in the stained glass looked down no longer on the heads of the faithful but the baskets of the busy. You have to ask though – is God better served by tearing a perfectly good building down than by re-using it like this? At least it is open to the whole community – unlike other old churches which have been turned into night clubs or private homes. If I had the choice between looking at stained glass or looking at cardboard adverts hanging from the ceiling whilst I queue – I know which one I would choose. To me, shopping is a necessary evil- but I would rather have some inspiration whilst doing it.

O God we pray today for the ability to find you in unexpected places. May we find you clothed in the ordinary things and tucked in amongst the very stuff of life. Amen